Good Luck Ducks, Week 11: No Pay For Play Here

All of the attention this week seems to be on Cam Newton of Auburn and how much he got paid, who paid him, what the guy that paid him was wearing that day and how many bodies were tossed in the river. (Something like that, anyway...) That's just fine in the Land of the Quack, who have another critical game this week against a California team that is undefeated at home where the Ducks have not won since 2001. A lot of stuff happened in 2001. Cam Newton was probably stealing Lunchables from his middle school classmates and selling them at a black market rate.

This Cal team has been atrocious on the road, but this game is being played in Berkeley. Oregon's last two trips down there were the things that make horror stories sound like a Pokemon episode. In 2008, Jeremiah Masoli stumbled and crumpled in the worst field conditions I've ever seen. 2006's game was a drubbing that is best forgotten entirely. I don't really remember it. Hopefully, the handful of players still around from that team have erased it from their memories as well.

Does this spell trouble for the #1 Ducks? I don't think so. The only unsettling thing about this current team was Nate Costa's career ending 34th knee injury. He was the spiritual leader, consummate pro (wait, no pay for play here!), super backup and 2 pt. conversion guy. He single-handledly kept the Ducks in the Rose Bowl last year twice, once by handling a bobbled snap that could have cost the team the game (and won him Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week) and also led the team in a victory over UCLA when Masoli couldn't make a go of it. Hopefully, Darron Thomas will not need any help today and will put away the Golden Bears quickly and decisively. I wouldn't expect anything less from this team.

Game time is 4:30 PST in Berkeley and can be seen nationally on Versus, assuming you actually get that channel.